Daly Cherry-Evans responds to Andrew Johns swipe as Angus Crichton promises retaliation

Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has hit back at Andrew Johns after the NSW great called out his 'cheap shot' on Angus Crichton in State of Origin 1. Cherry-Evans produced a masterclass in the series opener as the Maroons ran out 38-10 winners against a 12-man NSW side.

But Johns said Cherry-Evans will get a taste of his own medicine in Game 2, claiming Latrell Mitchell will torment the Maroons skipper on Wednesday night. Speaking on Sunday, Johns accused Cherry-Evans of a dirty act in Game 1 when he was seen shoving Crichton in the face after the NSW forward dropped the ball.

"I actually saw a clip of a bit of cheap shot from Daly," Johns said on the Sunday Footy Show. “He got Angus on the ground, so Angus don’t cop that mate. Daly is on top of his game, but good luck tackling Latrell. Valentine Holmes is already talking it up saying 'he will get in Latrell’s face' - so he is in their heads.

"The right side of Queensland is a target. The gap between DCE and Holmes - that space between the halfback and centre - is where NSW will apply pressure with Angus, Latrell, Dylan Edwards and Jarome (Luai) floating around. That will be the spot they target, especially with Latrell. He is NSW’s X-factor. Latrell is inside their heads, it is good."

Cherry-Evans was asked about Johns’ remarks during the Origin eve press conference on Tuesday, and the Queensland captain said he doesn't take any notice of what pundits say. “It’s the first I’ve heard of it, only because this time of year it’s honestly not in my best interests to be watching what you guys talk about,” Cherry-Evans said.

“I don’t mean that out of disrespect, there’s obviously a job for you guys to do to create hype and excitement around our game. For me to play my best and to stay focused about the things I can control it’s best to not go into those things. I really don’t have a great understanding about what has been said this week, I’m just excited about going out there and playing.”

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Angus Crichton vows to get revenge on Daly Cherry-Evans

Johns urged the Roosters second rower to hit back at Cherry-Evans or any Maroons player should he receive the same treatment in Game 2. And Crichton vowed not to take a backward step on Wednesday.

Crichton told NRL.com if any player was to try something like that again he would take matters into his own hands. "I should have got up and reacted," Crichton said. "When I watched the game back I regretted not getting in his face there, but I’ll save it for Game 2. That’s life but we will get on with it and get a win in Melbourne."